A QUALITY run of unjoined first-cross and beef heifers will be the feature in this week's Nutrien Livestock Boyanup store sale.
In the sale this Friday, February 5, which will commence at 1.30pm, there will be 220 unjoined Angus-Friesian heifers up for grabs, mainly from the Harvey and Brunswick areas alongside 85 unjoined purebred Angus heifers.
There will also be a good run of beef steers and heifers, as well as plenty of Friesian and first-cross steers.
The sale will round out with close to 100 mated cows for buyers looking for older replacement breeders.
With the unjoined heifers being a feature of the sale they will be offered first and certainly will not disappoint with some regular vendors offering their annual drafts.
Buyers can certainly buy these heifers with confidence as they have all been ear-notch tested free from Persistent Infection and have been vet checked or will be vendor guaranteed suitable to breed.
Nutrien Livestock, Harvey/Brunswick agent Errol Gardiner, who has most of the unjoined first-cross heifers in the sale, said they would present in excellent condition.
"The heifers will come from our regular vendors who annually present them for sale at this time of the season," Mr Gardiner said.
"They are in excellent condition this year and on average they are larger than usual due to the exceptional growing season.
"There will be a number of owner-bred lines in the line-up, along with heifers purchased in by vendors, who grow them out in preparation for this sale."
Leading the heifer charge with the largest offering will be LJM Produce, Myalup, with 49 Angus-Frieisan heifers aged 18 to 22 months.
Mr Gardiner said the heifers from LJM Produce were purchased in from this sale last year to grow out and sell in this sale.
"They are well-grown heifers and have excellent temperament," Mr Gardiner said.
Also offering numbers will be regular vendor Andrew Blackburn, H & JB Blackburn, Cookernup.
The quality line of 30 Angus-Friesian heifers from the Cookernup operation are sure to impress buyers and will be ready to join.
The very quiet, big, roomy black beauties were purchased in as younger cattle from reputable South West producers and grown out specifically for this fixture and come the sale they will be 18-20mo.
Fellow regular vendors the Craigie family, DE Craigie & Son, Harvey, will also have numbers in the line when they truck in 24 Angus-Friesian heifers aged 18-20 months.
These heifers were purchased from local dairies and raised by the Craigie family.
The Piggott family, SJ & RM Piggott & Sons, Harvey, who regularly feature in this sale with their owner-bred heifers, will this year present 22 Angus-Friesian heifers.
The 16-18mo heifers are sired by Sheron Farm Angus bulls.
Another bigger owner-bred line on offer from the Harvey area will be presented by long time vendor C & L Italiano.
The Italianos offering will consist of 30 Angus-Friesian heifers in the 8-15mo age range.
Fellow Harvey-based operations R & C Italiano & Sons and C & R Cherubino will present smaller drafts in the sale.
The Cherubino family's offering will consist of 10 Angus-Friesian heifers which were purchased as calves.
The line is 16-18mo and based on Blackrock Angus bloodlines.
When it comes to R & C Italiano & Sons, they will present seven owner-bred Angus-Friesian heifers aged 16-18 months.
The heifers are based on Blackrock Angus bloodlines and will be the last line of heifers bred by the Italianos following their exit from the dairy industry.
The Ieraci family, V & G Ieraci & Sons, Brunswick, will also feature in the sale this year with 29 Angus-Friesian heifers.
The owner-bred line is sired by Carenda Angus bulls and range in age from 14-18 months.
When it comes to the run of unjoined, purebred Angus heifers there will be two vendors represented in this section.
The largest of these will be the Phillips family, Kanangra Grazing, trading as WD & IM Phillips & Son, Manjimup, with 55 well-bred Angus heifers.
The 10-11mo heifers are based on Diamond Tree Angus bloodlines and will be the family's first draft from their breeding herd which consists of more than 1000 breeders.
Come sale day the line will have been weaned for a month and expect to weigh from 350 to 400 kilograms.
Nutrien Livestock, Manjimup representative Brett Chatley said the heifers from the Phillips were long and thick and would make perfect future breeders.
The line has been vaccinated twice with 5in1 and received Multimin and an Eclipse drench at marking, while at weaning they were treated with Beachport Liquid Minerals.
The heifers from the Phillips have been pregnancy tested empty and vet check suitable to breed.
They have also been ear-notch tested PI free.
The other vendor of unjoined Angus heifers will be PT Pullan, Bridgetown.
The Pullans have nominated 30 heifers aged 10-11 months for the sale.
Nutrien Livestock, Boyup Brook agent Jamie Abbs said the heifers from the Pullans would be their first draft and they would make suitable replacement breeders.
The heifers were bred in the Pullans Angus herd which has been based on Koojan Hills genetics, with the Pullans buying top-priced bulls from the stud for 15 years.
The line was weaned at the beginning of December and the heifers have been vaccinated with 7in1 and Pestigard.
Following the offering of unjoined heifers will be a good run of beef steers and heifers which are mainly Angus and Murray Grey types.
The largest vendor in the run will be B & C Ward, Bridgetown, with 80 Angus cross calves (55 steers and 25 heifers) aged 8-10 months, while Illginup Farm, Bridgetown, will present 50 Angus cross calves (25 steers and 25 heifers) aged 10mo and MD & LJ Armstrong, Manjimup, has nominated 40 Angus calves (20 steers and 20 heifers) which are also 10mo.
When it comes to the Friesian steer and first-cross steer offering there will be more than 400 head of these types on offer.
The biggest numbers in these lanes will come from Valley Park Grazing, Serpentine, which will present 44 Friesian steers aged 16-20mo, while NL & E Haddon, Busselton, will truck in 40 owner-bred Friesian steers of the same age.
Another vendor with 40 head in the pens will be G & PA Angi, Yarloop, which will offer 25 Friesian steers aged 8-10mo and 15 Red Friesian steers aged 8-12mo that are all owner-bred.
The next biggest drafts will be presented by Bos Taurus Pastoral Co, Brunswick and M Baruffi, Bridgetown, with 30 Friesian steers each.
The steers from the Brunswick operation were purchased out of past store sales and are aged 18mo, while the line from the Baruffi family are younger at 11mo.
Rounding out the large vendors in the section will be B Brooksby, Gelorup, with 26 Friesian steers.
The 16-18mo steers were purchased as young steers by the operation and grown out.
The sale will round out with a sizable run of mated cows and supplying a large number to the run will be Kea Contracting, Harvey.
The operation has nominated 40 Angus and Murray Grey mixed age cows.
They are all PTIC to a Charolais bull and due to calve from March 7 to May 7.
Also supplying numbers will be TV & GP Salmeri, Boddington.
The Salmeri family has nominated eight mixed age Murray Grey cows and 13 mixed age Angus cows.
Both lines are PTIC to a Diamond Tree Angus bull and are due to calve from March 15 to July 9.